Yalena? How could it be possible? Catherine couldn't take off her eyes from the picture. No, not Yalena, it just wasn't possible at all.
"You mean Lena? Beth, you've got to be kidding me..."
"I'm sorry Cat, but from the way you described the situation, Yalena was the only person that had crossed my mind. I also was surprised that she dropped school as well, I mean, she wanted to become an lawyer just like you had planned once..." Beth just sighed on the line, like she was deceived.
"What happened? I mean about the accident?"
"Not sure what really happened, but all I know was the fact that her dad was quite drunk and accelerated the speed and had ended struck at some tree. He didn't make it through..."
"Damn..."
"You tell me, she ended up on her own, later on. Her mother left both of them and her dad never quite accepted it, so he decided to drown his sorrows in alchool, leaving a newborn girl to his brother, whenever he bursted at home after a wild night.."
"Oh boy..." Despite, the apparences, Yalena Svetlana Sandler, 'Lena' for friends, always seemed to be the perfect, beautiful and nice girl with no problems from what she could remember. Born from a Russian mother and from a American father at the Bronx, life was not a fairytale for young Lena who had to be raised by an drunken father after her mother had left them alone. Blond and long haired girl with deep blue eyes, she was a smart girl than it seemed to most of others kids. Even with an drunking parent at home, she always tried to do the best she could at school, she had never let the past haunt her or even let it become a distraction to her grades. No one knew about the things at home, not even Catherine ever noticied.
However, before becoming a lawyer, Lena really had wanted to join up the cheerleader team of the school, since she kept a good figure, mostly because of her mother's genes and good looks. Despite all that, she remained natural and simple, not too snobish from what Catherine could remember. Lena was almost sixteen and really wanted to feel like she belonged somewhere in here.
"Cat? Are you still here?"
"I'm sorry Beth! Do you remember where she went? I mean after her father's death..."
"Lena had no choice, but to move away to Chicago, where her uncle lived, probably still lives there, I think...Other than that, she had no relatives here and since she was under age..."
"Whoa...That's a lot in one day..." She rubbed her temple, trying to adjust all the news she just heard from the journalist as Tess furrowed her eyebrows in wonder at her computer. Her eyes were keeping on searching on whatever she was looking at, until she let out a wide gasp, like she just remembered something important...
"Look, Beth, I have to hang up now and, please, let me know if you remember anything else about Lena, by any chance..." It might be very important, she almost had added.
"Of course, but, Cat, do you think she's in trouble? I mean, it's been a longtime since I've seen her . She wasn't even present at the reunion, like at all! So why are you asking all these questions for?"
"Beth, I wish I could answer you now, but I really I have to go now..."Catherine hanged up even before giving Beth the chance to answer back. She stared at Tess's stunning face, before she could add this;
"So, what did you find? Judging from your face, it must be big news..."Tess just grinned, at whatever she was looking at and she was quite enjoying it.
"I did not find a 'what' it's more of a 'who' I think I have found..."had revealed her partner back. "Come over and you'll see..." Intrigued, Catherine rose up from her seat and went to Tess's side and stared at the picture, not being sure on whatever had got Tess hooked on.
"Uh, Tess, I don't think we have the time to look for a guy here..."
"I'm not looking for any guy! That guy over here is your Alvarez guy!"She pointed at the picture which showed a quite but very handsome man in his late thirties. Tall, tanned, shouldered broaded, short blond haired with blue sky eyes, Dr. Oliver Alvarez knew how to win a woman's heart by showing up his shiny smile. No wonder how Yalena fell for him. He looked like a telenovela star. In this picture, Alvarez wore a grey suit along with a blue tie that matched his eyes and quite nice lips and a strong jaw...But what caught Catherine's attention is that he worked at the New York's hospital, as an surgeon and that organ donation was holding a huge and personal part for him.
However, she couldn't find any mark of violence in him, so what happened with Yalena so? Did she really left him with their daughter? Running away from the abusive husband and father? Like Patrick had said last night?
"He used to be married..." From what she read coming from his profile. He was married in fact with a woman who had suspended her law studies to become a housewife in order to raise their daughter at home, while he was at work. However, there was no mention of his wife having running away with their daughter, cause the profile was dated around from six years ago.
"Well, cuban Brad Pitt knows how to pose and smile, no? I mean with a body like this one, not even your ex-boyfriend can come close to this..."
"It's hard to believe that this guy could be abusive towards women..." At this, Tess turned her head at Cat, as she pointed Alvarez, with a questioning look;
"You really think, he was that bad towards his wife? Like your Patrick guy had mentionned?"
"Don't know about that, but I did told him about that I needed to find the absolute truth coming from Lena and not from anybody else."
"To prove that he has been right, from the start..." Catherine just snapped her fingers like Tess was reading her mind. Gotcha!
"Sort of. I don't wanna to play the bad guy here, but I need to be sure that whatever Patrick had revealed is true, by talking with her..."
"With Lena?"
"If I can find her, yeah..." Catherine put her fingers through her hair to put them away from her eyes, tired as always. She really wanted to believe Patrick, but didn't want to get in trouble.
"I went through files, about bailing prostitutes out from jail, from years before till now..I may have found your Gretchen girl profile..."
"Yeah, I found that profile as well, put it up..."Tess did as she was told, by opening up another window to see, Gretchen's s profile and a long text; giving a small idea who she really was. Gretchen looked nothing like Lena. That woman at that picture had a short, chopped and black haircut , smoky brown eyes almost hidden by her locks of her hair. She had that stern look like she was directly looking at you and only you. Eating you up, like a tiger. She wored a black leather jacket with a red and espensive bustier with sprinkles on it.
"More like a bra than a expensive bustier...I'd say..."had said Tess when Cat went back to her desk and grabbed her high school book year to check up Lena's picture with Gretchen's.
"No, that's not Lena..."
"I mean, she could have wore contacts, changing her appereance all that...I mean, the last time you saw her, was around waaay back at the early 2000's..." It was quite true, Catherine hasn't seen Lena since a very longtime, but she sures remembers the young girl as a natural beauty and very nice person. If she went up in this state like this, it must be for a reason and a very rightful one. She went up back behind her partner's desk and looked back and forth from Gretchen's picture to Lena's. They did not look alike at all, but why did Patrick called her by Gretchen instead of her original name? Unless...
"They swapped their names..." That clarified everything. Tess just frowned looking back at her partner.
"Sorry?"
"Patrick had mentioned that Lena was under an alias, now I get it why he always had talked about her, but using up Gretchen's name in order to protect her from being exposed..." No wonder, he looked nervous around her. He was afraid of being caught by someone or more like a spy sent from Alvarez..
"Why? He thought you were filming or recording the interview? That's why he covered her up?"
"I had no idea who was Gretchen Hermandez until Beth had brought up Lena's past in. They exchanged identities, I believe..."
"About her daughter? Do you have any idea where she sent her out?"
"Don't know about that, but I know she's far away from Child Services and from Alvarez's sight. Patrick had said that Lena has been hanging around that club and you can correct me if I spell it wrong. La Esperanza, or something like that..."
"Don't worry, even my spanish is way worse than yours. From what I see, Alvarez has bought the club a few years ago, from closing up its doors, however he just came in to save the day..."had followed Tess as she oppened up another window to search about the famous club that Lena has been working in with Gretchen. "And I believe, she had meet your high school friend along the way and had found a way to work along with her..."
"You're right, Lena and Gretchen, they could had worked together or it may link them to something, or more like someone..."
"Alvarez, I guess that's the answer of it..." So where do they go from here? Cat just studied the pictures on and on, making up a small plot to it. Abused and single mother, Yalena Sandler took the run with her daughter away from Oliver Alvarez and has been living in New York under an alias after sending her daughter away, so she can have a close look at her soon ex-husband. She meet Gretchen along the way and has exchanged identities as she seemed to have had agreed to help her out, keeping her identity as a secret. Both of them are working at the club as call-girls or as dancers at the moment.
And Alvarez, in all this? Has he bought the club from closing its doors, maybe from bankruptcy? or from something else? A nice face like his are no secrets at all and speaking of organ donation foundation, he must be a doctor that practices transplantation on humans, meaning he was paid to save lives. . Could he be a part of Tyler's murder? Keeping her in a fridge in order to keep her body in condition enough so he can practice his work on some other people in need for a transplant for surviving?
And if he did, where is the stolen heart? Ash had mentionned to both of them about that surgichical scar on Tyler's chest, and even if he had to re-do the autopsy, he would have said the same thing. He was sure that Tyler's heart was taken away and someone who has it, may or may not live that long.
Can't be sure of that fact...Yeah, go ahead and think like a cop had thought Catherine letting out a long sigh and spoke out;
"So, what do you suggest that we should go for? Go and find Alvarez or try to find both Gretchen and Lena? I'm out of ideas, at the moment..."
"Geez, you're asking me to choose between William Levy and Julia Roberts, Cat!"had whinned Tess, scratching up her head, like she can't make up her mind between two people to decide who is the bad guy in this. Boy, Medina, sure made her go nuts, last night and not by passion, by crazyness. "Okay, I'll go with Julia Roberts.." She said as she almost had giving up after the men of her fantasies.
"You want to go at the spanish club? What happened to cuban Brad Pitt? By the way?"
"Very funny, from Alvarez's profile, it stated that he rescued the club from falling down, like your Patrick guy had said. But what I want to know is why is he linked to all this, expecially with your Lena friend.."
"You mean, he could be part of Tyler's murder?" Well that could be big...If that was true...
"Could be, could be not. So, anyways, I'll be dropping off Levy for a moment and ask about the girls at the bar, while you go and talk to the owner.." Cat jumped at this sentence, Alvarez is the owner, right? So why would she go and ask some stranger, the important questions that needed to be told?
"Alvarez is the owner, Tess..."But her partner cut her up, at this. "Yes, but only on pappers, he must the type of person whom you go and ask for a signature about everything that needs to be done." Okay, that could be it.
"Could be someone else, I mean someone that controls the bar and the girls, from the front?" If Alvarez handles the papers and financial stuff, than who handles the girls and the bar?
"You got that right, Cat...I'm telling you, if that Alvarez guy had bought that club from falling down, it must be for a damn good real good reason..."had concluded Tess.
...
Meanwhile, Medina's friend was acting like a complete freaking, but panicking lunatic. Too much to control his blood pressure as Medina had rolled up his eyes, annoyed by that reaction.
"Are you out of your mind? Santiago? You want me to go through FBI files? Just because you can't get access to their job?"
"Look, I cannot get access to theirs files, because I'm supposed to lead a missing case with the NYPD's precinct along with Cheng, so that's not gonna be possible and Hendricks behind my back, wouldn't be easy to ignore, anyway..."had said Medina after he had explained his plan to his old ex-hacker buddy who turned to be a private investigator now. Rui just shook his head, desparate about the way it might end things for him.
"Santiago, I have a wife and two lovely daughters waiting for me at home, you cannot ask me to do your job for the FBI!"
"Vargas had almost caught me, last night on the phone with Hendricks. And I do know that she's smart enough to sense that I was lying to her about calling Laura...So, try to man up, a bit! I'm not telling you to hack anything bad here! I'm just telling you to do the other job..." He had admitted, mentionning Tess's name into the affair, so he has to be more careful in the future, that's why he called his friend in case of helping him out.
"I used to do that, but years ago, Santiago! I can't get my ass on fire, again..." Rui looked very panicked, however Medina managed to calm him down, by saying;
"Look, all I want is for you to go through every detail about Chandler and her father, Reynolds. Hendricks wouldn't leave me alone with this, expecially with the arrest and shooting scene, so I believe that there might be a third person involved in all this.."
"So, you think that both Reynolds and Chandler lied during the whole thing? Hiding the fact there might have been a third person at the arrest scene?"
"It's a possibility. Hendricks told me that a bullet covered in blood that seemed to look fresh was found, the next day and none of father and daughter had been shot, so that should explain it..." Rui nodded at this as a waitress was poured some coffee into his cup and walked away as Medina followed;
"But the bullet wasn't a match, from what I've heard..And that got him mad, the fact that he was pulled out from the case, because it was starting to be enough personal for him, so he decided to put me in and I can't really do it with Vargas behind my back..."
"You don't want to be busted, man..." Rui had guessed from there, as the man in front of him had agreed.
"Parents do have the right about knowing on how their daughter had died. I'm a father myself of two kids as well, Rui. Tyler Stevenson's parents need to know the reason of how their daughter had died and they waited far too long..."
"And you want to focus on that case and busting Lowan, for abusive relationship, even if she went on her own will with him?"
"I'll do anything to bust him up..." Even put him in jail.
"But what if...If Lowan doesn't turn to be her killer? What are you going to do? How are you gonna tell them about this huge fridge thing?" Instead of answering this question, Medina's phone vibrated, he took a look to his phone e-mails, it was Cheng.
"Come up! Tyler's parents are at the precinct, they're about to identify the body,..." Medina just groaned at this, it couldn't get any better than this...
"Work, uh?"
"It was Cheng, Tyler's parents had just arrived to the station to make an identification about the body. I believe I've got to go there, I mean for support.."He tried to find the right words to handle the pressure he was about to endure in the few minutes later on. Nodding as he understood, Rui just sighed as he waved his hand, like he agreeded to do Medina's job.
"Okay...I'll do the job, I'll try and seek for the answers that your stupid FBI buddy forces you to do..." Finally, he felt like a weight had left his shoulders, at the moment. He was grateful for Rui, for understanding the situation that was hard enough for him.
"Thanks, Rui, really I appriciate it..."
"Just, how much information, you want me to go through? Like two or ten years before?"
"Anything that includes Reynolds, on how he ended up corrumpted and for what reason. That hot shot of a cop, Detective Catherine Chandler as well, his biological daughter that had found him back, after all these years..." Medina wanted to slap himself for saying that line, out loud that! Chandler? A hot shot? Something's very wrong here!
"The one whom had him arrested, is the hot shot, you called?"had asked Rui back. Great!
"Don't get me wrong, man, if I was a single man, I would've gone for her, but she's quite a little young for me and by checking her up, I believe she holds a lot of secrets as well. That's what I think and I don't think I'll be able to stay with a woman who holds a lot of secrets..." Too much trouble for my own sanity! And besides, I'm lucky I've been married with Laura for a least couple years now with two great kids as well...I don't think I can stand with someone who smells a lot secrets around...
"Like dirty secrets, you mean?" Medina just sighed at this.
"Nope, just the ones that you aren't allowed to say in public..."
"So this is pretty heavy, you think she's in trouble, Santiago?"
"That, it's the least of my worries..."he added as he nodded at the pictures lying down on the table; "Just check the pictures and tell me what do you see in it..." With an raised brow, Rui eyed him, carefully, before he could look down at the pictures. The private investigator took the pictures and placed them on his sight,looking down at them as Medina leaned on his chair with arms folded to his chest. He watched his friend examinate the arrest crime scene in silence for a few minutes, wanting to know about his opinion. Rui just shook his head, letting out a couple, but quiet curses.
"Damn..."
"You tell me..."
"This is a mess...I mean with the car crash and Reynolds in pretty bad shape after he got himself in the hands of his daughter in cuffs..."
"Take a look at the bullet covered in blood, Rui, and like I told you, none of Reynolds or Chandler had any signs of being shot, and forencics cops have found a bullet at the crime scene, the next day..."
"Maybe, Chandler had missed her shot and had accidentally shot someone, at that time of the night.." Nice example, but Medina wasn't buying it. He stopped his friend who was about to follow his idea;
"If she did, than why did she lied about that information, anyway? Why would she cover her act, if it was an accident?" With that, Rui looked up at him, intrigued. A look that he would probably end up sharing with him.
"Because she's protecting that person from being discovered..."
"Or maybe, she doesn't want him or her to be exposed, because if she does, cops would go and ask questions to the victim. If that person had survived the shot or not, Rui. And you know what that means for Chandler..."
"Your 'hot shot' cop girl could end up in trouble with her cover blown, she could lose her badge..." With that, the cop just nodded as he agreed along.
"Damn, right..." It was started to get complicated than ever.
...
Lounging on Gabe's couch, an anxious, but in pajamas, Tori was drinking her coffee as she continued to look up at the phone lying on the coffee table, like she was waiting for it to call her, right away. Many unanswering questions were coming and leaving her mind and it was making her really nervous. Was she having visions of the past, by touching people's hand?
Ever since that last minute kidney transplant and blood transfusion, she never felt the same like before. Once she was born as a beast from her father's regretful choices and now, she was a psychic? And that scar from her waist had just frightened her nerves. Something was wrong.
"That's just ridiculous, I'm just seeing things, that's all...But I know that I'm not doing it on purpose!" She whispered to herself like she was trying to convince herself that things like that would go away like magic, but deep down, she knows that it won't go away without a good explanation. She cannot ask the hospital staff about the donor, cause it might be very confidential and to break the law, would cause serious damages, not only to them, but to herself as well. However, the fear of not knowing, was starting to consume her, very.
'I have to talk to somebody...And it can't be Vincent, he's unreachable at the moment...Catherine and Tess, not a good idea...J.T, he has too much trouble at the moment..But Gabe, in all this?' She thought back as she heard the door being opened up by no one else than, Gabe...
Gabe..
She took a look at him, with big frighten eyes. He hadn't showed up since that day when he received that call from Catherine. It turned out that one of is ex-girlfriends was found dead and that he needed to be at the precinct. He couldn't possibly have the time to come back at home. It must have been two days, by now, and the guy before her eyes did not look any better, at all. Clutching to her coffee mug, she tried to find the right words.
"Gabe, I..."
"Hey, Tori, looks like you didn't leave at all, I'm glad at the end, that you followed my attentions..." He said as he dropped his coat to the couch next to her side. She just continued to fix him, complete stunned. She didn't know if she had the right to act worried or happy now that he's back at his home. Cause, boy, he looked exhausted, by the looks of it...
"What a hard day, I've been talking to a lawyer for almost day, enough to calm down my nerves, I'm glad that you don't have to go through what I'm going through, Tori.." For an answer she just watched him loosen up his tie as he wanted to get up some coffee or a drink, from the kitchen table.
"It went that bad?"
"Don't ask, Tyler's parents wants me to go at court and go to prison for the murder of their daughter.." That pulled her out of her thoughts for a minute, realizing of how bad the situation was.
"Say what?"
"I know that, don't ask, it happened way before you and the others came in and besides, it was Tyler's choice to stay with me, the former beast, it was her choice, Tori, not me..." She watched him reach up the drawner up front of him, took up a mug and poured some coffee in it. He was shaking, like he was living through the nightmare he had been exepecting to live any minute. She rose up, put her mug to the table and stared at him, watching and waiting for him to react. But what came later, was out of control as he followed;
"I did not kill her, and they're accusing me of doing it...I did not...I did not kill her!" He raised his arm and threw the mug on the counter, splashing coffee everywhere with much violence. Tori just stepped back in fear, at that sound. She wasn't sure if he tried to assure her or himself, but she was sure of one thing, he was shaking in fear.
"It's my fault as well, Tyler fell for me and it's my fault if she had died because of me..." The red haired girl tried to approach the desperate ADA, hoping he won't notice her trembling figure or the fact that she was trying to assure him.
"Tyler went through hell and back for me and look what happened? She paid the price of trying to help a beast, like me.."
"Gabe.."
"It's true, Tori, I let her go into her grave...She knew the risks about being with me and died because of it!" He must have loved her, despite the way their relationship was based on, from the start. Being brave enough to move, Tori put an hand on his shoulder, trying to cope his pain. She remembered the time when her father was going through hard times as well, when her mother had passed away, due to mystery circumstances.
"I'm sorry..." That you must through a lot of trouble because of the choices you made with your ex... What else could she say to him, than just being sorry? Guess there's no words, at all. Trying to cope his pain, Gabe snorted and turned around to look up at her, he tried to make it up with words like; "I'm sorry, Tori, I know you must go through a lot, right now and you, probably don't want to listen up to my past problems..." She just shook her head at that.
"No, it's okay, my dad had to go through the same thing like that as well, I mean when my mom passed away, a longtime ago..."
"So it's true, I mean about your mother had died?"
"I only told Vincent, when he had kidnapped me, but it was very hard to watch my father suffer as he got worse with his other inner self, after he lost her..It was also hard for me, as well..." It was the first time that she admitted about her mother having passing away to someone else than her ex-lover and it quite felt good now. That she doesn't have to hide about that other part that had died, but could she really trust him; about the fact that she was having visions? Will he look up at her like she was losing up her mind? The man turned his back from her, looking up at the mess he just made at the counter.
"Damn, it's a mess, I guess that's what happens when you get angry and do stupid stuff around, much like a drunk person..."He replied back, as he scratched his head in embarassment when Tori was about to mention something else..
"Well, Gabe...I do have.."
"Never mind, I'll clean it up later and I'll have to take a shower, before going back to the precinct, it felt just like yesterday about me learning about Tyler's murder and days when I came back..."He sighed as he turned back to the red haired girl in front of him. "And to say that I tried to redeem myself from my past mistakes with Catherine and Vincent, guess I'm not even there yet..." He said with sad smile. "Anyways, if the phone rings up, call me, but don't try to give me another scare, like Catherine did. Okay Tori?" He followed as he put an hand to her shoulder. Taken by surprise, Tori just shivered at his touch and her eyes had widened up open, but in shock. It was happening again. Oh God!
Flashes of pictures had bursted in her mind, and completely out of control. Like lighting. Pictures of a young boy being expenrimented by hundred of scientists and doctors, an unknown asian woman with a rassuring smile introducing the same young boy to two people, must be his new foster parents. A boy who ended up suffering with the bad consecquences of his actions, his beastly actions drove him mad scratching up the wall with claws as his eyes glowed a deep and bright yellow, expressing the uncontrollable anger of his beast nature. Both of his foster parents dead. Much later, that same young boy became a man, an very succesful and bright man, despite his affairs with many women, until he had meet this blond haired girl...
Tyler...
Tori had no control over the fastening visions that kept going and going, over and over. Including the most intimated and sexual parts of Gabe and Tyler's relationship. She saw them met, getting closer as physical before getting closer to each other, the beating parts, the siding over him against her parents's overprotecting control. The beast coming out and did the most unforgivable things to an screaming Tyler begging him to stop or cease the pain as he used her as bait. A way to to put his hands or claws on something livable and that used to be the person that was close enough to the beast. And then, the man was back with no memory of what he had done the other night to the woman. Through the white flashes of Gabe's past memories, she saw both of them in the bed. Gabe waking up in sweat from a horrible nightmare and an completely naked but scarred Tyler, lying on the bed, the next morning. Her back against him, as she was hiding the atrocious but bleeding scars of her body with the blanket sheet. She was crying in silence as she kept telling herself over and over that it wasn't his fault, that it was the other part of him who was responsible for the abusing, not the man. Not Gabe Lowan.
"Tori, are you okay?" At the sound of his voice, she snapped out from the flashes as she backed away from him, still in shock. Regaining control of her surroundings, she looked up to him, who ended up worried of her sudden behavior, but waved away.
"I'm okay, just a little tired, that's all..."She assured him, promissing him that it was no big deal at all. Gabe just shrugged as he went to the bathroom's direction, leaving her completely distrught. Tori had no idea what the hell was going on. Whatever was real or not, she feared that she would lose her mind at the end. What the hell was all the flashes? His past memories? She wasn't so sure, if she ever had seen Vincent or Catherine through his touch on her shoulder or maybe she was about to discover it, soon enough. She just wanted to yell her frustration out of its misery, before it was getting into her...
"Nothing makes sense anymore!" She just couldn't handle it anymore and begged for help.
...
"What do you mean? You got caught by an skunk?"
"I don't know! It just happened!"
"What do you mean? It just happened? You couldn't caught it with that kind of supercharged scent, you have?"
"Look! It got me by surprise! I had no idea! J.T. I was walking away from the appartement, after I left that castle thing and walked on her!"
"Her?
"Well, females skunks are way more dangerous than the males ones! They don't think twice, they attack right away!"
"And I thought that stupid french skunk from the Bugs cartoon was more irritating than the running cat..."had mumbled an frowning J.T who was standing out of the bathroom. His bathroom that Vincent had stayed in and never walked out of it. Ever since he locked himself in it, trying to rub away the skunk smell! And who says, that karma was a bitch?
After he left the coffee building, J.T went back to the club, wondering if he should call both Tess and Catherine about Medina's secret plan to expose Cat, or maybe Vincent as well, since he believed the fact that a third person was involved into the arrest scene. Both of them could probably end up in trouble. He tried to call up Vincent again, but once he stepped close enough to the bathroom door, he heard a dog's whining as he was about to step on Ed's furry tail. It got him by surprise. Not only, Ed had caught him, but there also was some clothes lying down on the floor. Black coat, scarf, shirt, pants and socks and boots for winter were all over the place. Clothes from yesterday that had the smell of an skunk and J.T knew where they came from. Vincent's. Let's just say the guy got attacked and can't get the smell out, so he locked himself into the bathroom.
Hang on, did he just say appartement? Catherine's appartement? Did Vincent sneaked up by visiting Catherine? Like he used to do years ago?
"After or before you got the chance to sneak up at Cat's place? That you got attacked by an not so happy female skunk?" Vincent just remained silent, at that question.
Opps!
He could imagine his buddy sitting down in the bathtub trying to rub away the smell with the amount of tomato juice he could find and manage to get rid of. However, he couldn't deny the fact, that even if he had stopped to see Catherine, he managed to watch her from a far.
"Big Guy?"
"I just wanted to make sure that she went home, safely...That's all..." He was her eternal guardian, after all.
"But I don't believe that she ever noticed me, I mean by watching her from the fire escape or from the castle thing..."He admitted at the end. Hold habbits die hard, lately. Even if he decided to stay away from her, he could still manage to watch her, like he used to. So that she could be safe and far away from him, from now on. But did he just said to himself that he would try to win her back? Maybe..
"But that skunk did caught you, right away..." Vincent just grunted at that remark, like it wasn't his fault.
"It's not funny! It really stinks!" If the situation wasn't serious, J.T would have laughed at the picture of his best friend getting caught by an skunk, after he left Catherine's place. But what happened when Vincent cut him off right after their call? Did he discovered something bad that could link to Tyler's murder? But something else came into his mind when he told this;
"It may sound out of ordinary, but do you remember a girl named Regan Bennett? Both of you were working at the same hospital, along with Jeffrey and Alex. I just saw her at the coffee shop and boy, she had changed from the last time I've seen her..." J.T wasn't sure of how Vincent would have reacted about that point, because whatever answer had came later on was silence. So he waited for a couple minutes with arms crossed, leaning next to the bathroom door as Ed walked over to his feet. A nice dog like Ed didn't deserve a guy like him, a guy with allergic problems like J.T.
Like he thought Vincent was taking forever to come out, he was about to hold the handle until he saw the door, moving up open on its own, but slowly. J.T just stared at the person's head pooping out from the room, in shock at Vincent's face full of tomato's juice like he was about to melt by any minute or that he came back from a very bad tomato juice rain. He gulped at that sight of his best friend's frowning expression...Should he run away, like a frighten and maniac guy, by now? He already had seen Vincent in horrible situations, but this? Him, covered in tomato juice at the moment? And before his eyes?
And the smell was even worse, than he thought as he pinched his nose with two fingers in disgust.
"What do you mean if I ever remembered some girl named Regan Bennett, that I used to work with? You mean back at Med school, right?"
...
"Try to contact Patrick, if we can get to him, I mean he didn't quite tell you all the horrible truth about his damsel in distress..."
"Well, let's see about that..."Cat tried to reach up Patrick through his phone number and waited for him to respond. It's been a hour that both of them took off and took the road to that club La Esperanza to meet the owner and the few girls that are working at the moment at the street or at the bar. They wanted to know more about Yalena and Gretchen's deal and including Oliver Alvarez, Lena's soon ex-abusive husband, as well...
And the famous Patrick from last night did not called back. Cat just checked her phone, frowning about the asbence of his voice.
"Nothing. After listening to his story and the fact he doesn't want any cops around, he decided that it was better to keep this between us. He and I exchanged numbers, so I can contact him about Lena...But only if it gets worse, we'll have to jump soon or later..."
"So, you really don't trust the guy?"
"I'm not gonna lie about that Tess. I agree to seek answers, I mean about Lena's doing, but I really don't trust him, even if he seemed really sincere and convincing...I just don't get the feeling that he had told me everything..." Her partner just shrugged her shoulders in agreement as her eyes were kept on the road and both hands on the wheel.
"Well, you follow with what your gut is telling you, Cat. I don't see anything wrong with that.."
"Just keep driving and find Lena and Gretchen, so we can get rid of this case as fast we can..." And so I could get my mind clear and take a break from work, as well...She thought back, letting out a grunt. Leaning on the passanger seat, Catherine just had the feeling that she wouldn't never be able to get rid of this case any time sooner. It was a mess that she wanted to stay away from, but couldn't at all. It was because she didn't have the key to come out and mostly out from her personal heart feelings...
...
Okay I'm gonna stop right here for this moment. So what do you think? Tess and Cat are on their way to the club. Vincent is about to meet a few friends from the hospital soon. Tori is acting weird and Medina is leaving the Father and Daughter case to someone else, so he can focus on Tyler's case and busting Gabe for good, or that's what he thinks.
Happy New Year! I'll try to write chapter nine soon, whenever I can.
Reviews always makes me smile! So See Ya!
